Asked how much he is worth, Lauda says: “You don’t talk about money. I learnt that as a child. When I asked my mother: ‘How much money does granddad (the iconic industrial Hans Lauda) have?’, she slapped me in the face.”

Asked about what differentiates today’s generation of Formula 1 drivers from the pilots of his active years, he says: “Back then, death was always an option. Today’s chaps have no idea. They drive go-karts until they turn 18 and then start their Formula One career. They know nothing apart from accelerating and handling the steering wheel.”

Lauda adds: “They haven’t got a chance to develop a personality. The only kind of charisma someone like 22-year-old (2008 F1 champion) Lewis Hamilton has is his Ms Scherzinger (Hamilton’s girlfriend and singer with the girl group Pussycat Dolls).”